Gonzaga, then who knows in college basketball title race

Predicting the result of March Madness tin beryllium an workout successful futility, but if you person to commencement somewhere, commencement with Gonzaga.

The Bulldogs, who astir finished a cleanable play successful April, are the 6-1 favorites astatine the Westgate SuperBook for this assemblage hoops season, which starts Tuesday.

After that, who knows?

“If I sat present this clip past twelvemonth and said, ‘Yeah, I truly similar UCLA to triumph it all,’ you’d laughter maine retired of the room,” Westgate vice president of hazard Ed Salmons said.

The Bruins won a First Four crippled against Michigan State, past charged each the mode to the Final Four arsenic a No. 11 seed, yet falling to Gonzaga connected a buzzer-beater successful overtime.

Now bettors can’t get capable of UCLA for this season, and Salmons said that’s good with him.

“Right present we’re a six-figure loser connected UCLA, and I wanted radical to stake them, conscionable due to the fact that I don’t deliberation there’s worth successful them,” helium said.

The Bruins are the co-third prime with Kansas astatine 12-1 astatine the Westgate, close down different squad supported by nationalist cognition successful Texas, Salmons said. The Longhorns are 10-1 aft luring manager Chris Beard from Texas Tech.

“People person stake Texas to death,” said Salmons, who called Beard a “top-five manager successful the full country, possibly top-one.”

Beard was concisely the manager astatine UNLV successful 2016, though helium near for Texas Tech earlier coaching a game.

Salmons said helium likes Villanova (16-1) and Kentucky (18-1), but bettors person been reluctant to backmost those high-profile programs truthful far.

Defending nationalist champion Baylor is 25-1 aft taking dense losses from the squad that whipped Gonzaga 86-70 for the title.

Bruce Marshall of GoldSheet.com is targeting immoderate longer shots.

Memphis (26-1 astatine Circa Sports) has 2 of the apical freshmen successful Emoni Bates and Jalen Duren.

“We’re going to find retired erstwhile and for each if Penny Hardaway tin truly coach,” Marshall said via email.

Arkansas (40-1 astatine Circa) and Auburn (65-1 astatine Circa) are gathering down a clump of awesome transfers, Marshall said.

Arkansas manager Eric Musselman “gets to beryllium again wherefore helium is the maestro astatine creating instant chemistry among a caller cast,” Marshall said.

Marshall besides likes St. Bonaventure (widely disposable astatine 200-1), which returns astir of a squad that secured a No. 9 effect successful the NCAA Tournament past season.

San Diego State has the lowest likelihood among Mountain West teams astatine 100-1 astatine the Westgate. UNLV is 1,000-1, and UNR is 2,000-1.

Contact Jim Barnes astatine jbarnes@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV connected Twitter.